Anti-theological bias

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1962Missal

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I’ve run across an anti-theological bias in some of my Southern Baptist friends. They really are averse to discussing anything that smacks of “doctrine” or “religion”—both of which, they swear, will get you to hell faster than an express train.

Examples: The Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, the Hypostatic Union, the hybrid spiritual and physical nature of man. They just wouldn’t go near them. They dismissed such thinking as “not a salvation issue” or “immaterial”. I even had one acquaintance tell me I needed to spend less time on theology and more time on “knee-ology”—as if knowledge of God is somehow contrary to a prayerful relationship with him.

Has anyone had a similar experience? What can be done to generate interest for the great Truths among such people?

Justin
 
That’s the attitude that turned me off from Christianity in general for years - anti-intellectualism.

Honestly, I thought Christians were simple-minded, ignorant or just plain stupid.

Of course I know now I couldn’t have been more wrong
 
God gave an inquisitive and questioning mind-- he wants us to use it to get closer to Him. Studying theology without fail always increases my wonder at the mysteries of God. I would remind your friends that pondering God is an important theme in the Bible-- we can take a hint from no less than our Blessed Mother who leads all to deeper contemplation of our son. Take the 2nd chapter of Luke, for one instance:

[17] And when they saw it they made known the saying which had been told them concerning this child;
[18] and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
[19] But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.
 
Unfortunately, there is a wide range of spiritual laziness that has afflicted people of, not one, but many religions. It’s human nature to look for the easy way out. And also a lot of people don’t want to know more because more knowledge about one’s spirituality leads to more responsibility. Ignorance is Bliss, right?

I only have one solution. Pray for them. That all we really can do. I found out, a while ago, sometimes the more you try to help, the more they push away. Sometimes, they just dont want to know more. They love their life and they don’t want interference in it. It’s a shame. Unfortunately, when i come across people like that, I have to move on. There are lots of people out there willing to receive the truth. We are told not to cast our pearls to the swine. So when I come across it, I have to move on.
 
With all due respect to you, why do you even give a super-- fundamentalist sect such as the one you mentioned so much thought??? They are a fanatical group which believes you don’t need to KNOW(through study and prayer) God, just FEEL God. When one talks about the classical ANTI-Catholic (yes, they have MUCH bias against catholics, but want everyone else to accept their beliefs) heretical groups, the one you mentioned is high on top of the list. I would rather (for the sake of argument I will use this to show what I think of those fundamentalist denominations) be a believer in hinduism, or budism, then those so called “christian” denominations, namely, baptists, pentecostals, "born again Christians, etc, etc,.

THE fullness of TRUTH subsists in the Catholic Church, outside which (knowingly and freely) there is NOI salvation.
one should not even waste time trying to convince the members of those denominations: They won’t here it. The best thing ids to just LAUGH when they try to convice you of their heresies, then walk away.
 
I think misericordie is a little over the top. There is no salvation outside of the Church, but they are baptised, in a baptism recognized as valid by the Church. A little charity and a little perspicacity could go along way.

Many people are lazy, mentally. Others are simply not capable of great depth; keeping it simple is a grace in dealing with them. Others are not lazy or shallow; they are just stubborn (“Don’t confuse me with the facts; I already have my mind made up!”). That group is usually not worth wasting your time on.

Just a thought: instead of telling them how they are wrong to hold that opinion, try the Socratic method; ask them questions (sincerely); then ask more questions. Get into curious. Then ask more questions. Then, you might try making your statement which shows them a different answer into a question. Many, if not most people will answer a sincere question (Gee, that’s interesting. Why do you feel that way?).
 
OTM, with all due respect, your advice is logical, yes, but only IF the protestant denominations you say would be willing to “listen” were mainline ones, such as the Anglican, Episcopelian’s or maybe Lutherans. However, here I am talking about CLOSED MINDED SECTS.
Code: 
 Human respect is great, but respect to God and truth are, greater.
 As per the Socratic method, i know it well, i attended a "catholic" University run by a large teaching order, and the classes there were taught in the Socratic method.  However, when dealing with certain sects, one must use a little of Aristotelian logic and say, "no matter what is taught to a sect regarding catholic truth, it will not sink in:cool: .
 
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misericordie:
OTM, with all due respect, your advice is logical, yes, but only IF the protestant denominations you say would be willing to “listen” were mainline ones, such as the Anglican, Episcopelian’s or maybe Lutherans. However, here I am talking about CLOSED MINDED SECTS.
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Listen to the Anglicans, Episcopalians (same thing, different name), and the Lutherans? So they can convince us to accept abortion, female clergy, and homosexuality as normal?

I think not!!! (I speak as the Southern Baptist that I am, at least for the next week and a half.)

Actually, I have had very good experiences with my SoBap pastors’ attitudes towards intellectualism. Two of my pastors and one music minister have been PhD’s, and the other two pastors respected learning very highly. Of course, that may have been partly because of my own choices; I wouldn’t have gone to a church that rejected “theology” in favor of “kneeology.”

DaveBj
 
1962Missal

I’ve run across an anti-theological bias in some of my Southern Baptist friends. They really are averse to discussing anything that smacks of “doctrine” or “religion”—both of which, they swear, will get you to hell faster than an express train.

But, of course, the truth is the opposite of this. It is by holding fast to the doctrines of our religion that keeps us from going to hell …

Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of our religion …
1 Tim 3:16

For a bishop … must hold firm to the sure word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to confute those who contradict it.
Titus 1:7-9

Any one who goes ahead and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God; he who abides in the doctrine has both the Father and the Son.
2 John 1:9

I appeal to you, brethren, to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them.
Romans 16:17
 
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1962Missal:
I’ve run across an anti-theological bias in some of my Southern Baptist friends. They really are averse to discussing anything that smacks of “doctrine” or “religion”—both of which, they swear, will get you to hell faster than an express train.

Examples: The Blessed Trinity, the Incarnation, the Hypostatic Union, the hybrid spiritual and physical nature of man. They just wouldn’t go near them. They dismissed such thinking as “not a salvation issue” or “immaterial”. I even had one acquaintance tell me I needed to spend less time on theology and more time on “knee-ology”—as if knowledge of God is somehow contrary to a prayerful relationship with him.

Has anyone had a similar experience? What can be done to generate interest for the great Truths among such people?

Justin
Click to expand...
Oh they have a theology, all right. If you press them hard about the Trinity --ask them what Father, Son and Holy Spirit mean–they will probably say that these are “aspects” or manifestatations of the one God. A “person” to them means only a human being. Practically speaking they are unitarians of the 2nd Person, since it is only Jesus who matters to them.
 
Misericordie,
Relax a little. We don’t want to slide into intellectual elitism here.

I was raised a Baptist in the home of a Baptist minister. In one of the last discussions I had with him before he died, he suggested that evangelicals were more “experientially oriented.”
If you look at it closely, you will find that the anti-intellectualism that exists among some, and the “experience” orientation, come from the erroneous theology of the “once for all time” conversion. You’ve heard them speak of “getting saved”. That’s what is meant. A one time conversion experience. Of course, if a person doesn’t “feel” some great change in them, or doesn’t “feel” an experience of God’s power through the Holy Spirit, they tend to doubt their salvation. But the “moment in time” mentality locks them in to this problem. Moreover, they return to church seeking a further “experience”. If they don’t feel good, there’s something wrong with the them or the church. Charismatic pentacostals tend to go further, and even suggest that if you haven’t spoken in tongues, you haven’t been saved. Furthermore, there tends to arise an elitism of experience so much that a phenomenon known as “ecstatic speech” has developed, no doubt so that everyone can participate.
This error, however, does not rule out the fact that sometimes people do have a powerful conversion experience, in the Catholic Church, no less. But because we have the advantage of 2000 yrs of Christian doctrine and true Christian theology, we know that such an experience can have a place, but not the only place, in our salvation. In fact, for some people, it can be repeated several times, if they have not grown in the depth of their faith, and are blown about by the winds of circumstance.
I would suggest, however, that we don’t confuse all of this with the simplicity of the gospel message. For everyone, in the rational beginning of our faith, there is hardly a theological sophistication of an Augustine or Aquinas, as a convert or as a cradle Catholic attaining the age of reason.
The gospel is for everyone, including children, the simple-minded or even mentally stunted. Because everyone understands love, and that is the core of the gospel. Everything that Jesus taught and did right through to His death and resurrection, was because of God’s infinite love for us. For those of us who can understand more, there is a rich treasury of theology to learn, enough for a life-time of study. The Catholic faith holds something for everyone, even the simple-minded, and that is a beautiful thing.
 
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